My 6 month young Chow Chow, Amber, is my puppy from our 2 year old Chow mommy. I brought her to California from the Philippines to live with me while my wife has Amber's mommy and sister in the Philippines until she visits in April or May. Our problem is Amber barks and growls at my son and niece who live with us in our condo in California. We arrived last Saturday, January 28th 2017, so she's only still getting used to her new family members.

My question is: Is it going to take a while before she accepts them and stops growling and barking? Or will I need some type of training method to break this habit? Amber is very attached to me as well as my wife and follows me everywhere around the house and she's really a very sweet and loving dog... very baby-like personality with me. When my son and niece just go about their business and try not to make sudden moves towards Amber, she's fine just observing them. But when they try to approach her calmly and calling her name, she's skittish, barks growls and backs away with her tail down in a protective mode.u

I think what you need is a proper introduction. What i do with my dogs is to leash them every time i am introducing a new person. Keep the distance obviously and calm them as you introduce them. Reward good behaviour, the calmness and all with a treat, and not the growling or barking. You could see how this works over time. They wont start liking them in a day. Hope it's already improved. All the best.

Thank you, Annabellam, so much for your advice. We've tried the introduction you mentioned but we will add the treats for a positive reinforcement. It really is a slow process and takes lots of patience.

Agree with the introduction but would still suggest the kids not force themselves on the dog. I'd suggest the dog be allowed to observe until she is ready to trust. Sounds like you're on the right path. GOod luck!

Thank you. I have suggested what you posted and Amber's trust is growing little by little each day. The four of us go on hikes together where dogs are allowed on the trails and Amber is getting more comfortable since they are also in close contact in my car while we're driving to our hikes.